Colleges take it higher

Scholarships, recognition up

It wasn't that she was trying to get away, but when the opportunity presented itself, Amanda Soven was on the first plane out of Florida.

Sure, the local colleges and universities had cheerleading squads, but nothing offered what the University of Maryland did.

As Florida is just recognizing high school cheerleading as a sport, several advancements are being made around the country at the next level.

Soven, a Cypress Bay graduate, said the main reason she chose Maryland was the school's competitive cheerleading program.

In 2003, Maryland became the first Division I college to sanction competitive cheerleading as an NCAA varsity sport. Soven said there are 14 athletic scholarships divided among the 32 athletes on the team.

The University of Oregon followed suit and is set to begin its competitive program in the 2008-09 school year.

"People really are starting to appreciate and understand how much time it takes to be good at competitive cheerleading," Soven said.

To Ely cheerleading coach Kimberly Jones-Duncan, the establishment of athletic scholarships for cheerleaders means the potential for an even brighter future for the athletes on her team.

"It's just not about cheerleading with me," Jones-Duncan said. "It's about staying positive, staying off the streets, staying out of trouble.

"Now, with these schools [adding cheerleading as a sport], I'm online every day trying to find scholarships for my kids."

West Boca Raton coach Victoria Briggs said she has already seen the positive effect cheerleading has had on her girls.

"This year I've heard a lot of turnaround, positive feedback from the teachers," Briggs said. "They say that the cheerleaders are much more well-behaved [now that the sport is recognized by the state]. They're more respected because they're held to a higher standard."

And Soven is getting the respect her sport never received at Cypress Bay. She can now reflect on her days bouncing between the high school team and the All-Star team, just so she could get some real experience.

"Now I think cheerleading has become more popular, with seeing it on TV more," Soven said. "It's not just standing and clapping. It's not a football activity, it's a sport.

"I definitely would have loved to have that opportunity [to be considered an athlete] in high school. This will get [cheerleaders] known within their high schools. Everybody else has the opportunity to say, 'Oh, I'm a state champion,' whereas you're saying, 'Oh, I'm a cheerleader.' "